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An Ohio State blog for the Buckeye fan in all of us.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 00:10:12 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1Top 25: The Week in Review & The Week Aheadhttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-basketball/top-25-the-week-in-review-the-week-ahead-4.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-25-the-week-in-review-the-week-ahead-4
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-basketball/top-25-the-week-in-review-the-week-ahead-4.html#commentsSun, 13 Jan 2013 23:44:28 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=30149When it comes to the rankings this year I am reminded of a famous Beatles song. That song…..”Hello, Goodbye”. Teams that gain a specific ranking or jump into the Top 25 say “hello” to it just as quickly as they say “goodbye” to it. This week was no exception as I am still trying to […]

When it comes to the rankings this year I am reminded of a famous Beatles song. That song…..”Hello, Goodbye”. Teams that gain a specific ranking or jump into the Top 25 say “hello” to it just as quickly as they say “goodbye” to it. This week was no exception as I am still trying to catch my breath after it was all over. The remaining three undefeateds are no longer undefeated. North Carolina State picked up their signature win in handing Duke their first loss and should move up pretty nicely in the polls. Arizona lost their second……oops……their first game in a close game at Oregon. And, last but not least, the Buckeyes took care of business against Michigan at home. All in all, 9 of the Top 25 teams lost games this week, with a certain Big Ten Team (see below) not winning all week! When it’s all said and done there should be changes a plenty in the rankings but for now let’s see what happened with all the teams.

Here’s a look at the Top 25 Week Ahead and Week in Review

1. Duke (15-1, 2-1) Previous Rank: 1

Past Week: 1/8 Clemson, W 68-40 & 1/12 @ (20) N.C. State, L 76-84

Upcoming:1/17 Georgia Tech

Duke received its first ACC test and failed in losing to a good North Carolina State. Depending on how the injury to Curry is, this could only be the beginning. The Blue Devils hope to bounce back in hosting Georgia Tech this week.

Michigan played this week and won this week…..nothing new to them. At least until they faced the Buckeyes who took care of business despite losing control of a 21 point lead. The Wolverines have a tough match-up ahead against the surprisingly strong Golden Gophers.

3. Louisville (15-1, 3-0) Previous Rank: 4

Past Week: 1/9 @ Seton Hall, W 73-58 & 1/12 South Florida, W 64-38

Upcoming: 1/14 @ UConn & 1/19 (7) Syracuse

Louisville may be the second best team right now behind Michigan. Solid wins this week, but Syracuse comes to town with hopes of knocking the Cardinals down a few spots.

4. Arizona (15-1, 3-1) Previous Rank: 3

Past Week: 1/10 @ Oregon, L 66-70 & 1/12 @ Oregon St., W 80-70

Upcoming: 1/19 @ Arizona State

I’m sorry, but Oregon gave Arizona their second loss of the year (I promise I’m done whining after this week) but they bounced back with a win at Oregon State. They continue their road trip when they go to Arizona State this week.

5. Indiana (15-1, 3-0) Previous Rank: 5

Past Week: 1/7 @ Penn State, W 74-51 & 1/12 (8) Minnesota, W 88-81

Upcoming: 1/15 Wisconsin

Indiana proved that their number 5 ranking is deserved in a winning over a very good Minnesota team. Wisconsin shouldn’t pose a bog threat to the Hoosiers but, then again, this is the Big Ten.

Just as I was beginning to think Kansas deserved to be higher in the polls, they struggle against a couple of teams that they shouldn’t have struggles against. They did win them all but they better watch out when they travel to Texas later this week.

I know Minnesota lost this week at Indiana but they went to Illinois and won. They are in one of toughest stretches of anyone’s schedule as they now will face Michigan. If they can go 2-1 in this three game stretch, it will be quite an accomplishment.

Bring on Butler!

9. Gonzaga (16-1, 3-0) Previous Rank: 10

Past week: 1/10 St. Mary’s, W 83-78

Upcoming: 1/17 @ Portland & 1/19 @ (14) Butler

Rival St. Mary’s came to town but left with a loss. Gonzaga will now go to Butler in a battle of the “major” mid-major teams. I, for one, am really excited to see this game!

10. Missouri (12-3, 1-1) Previous Rank: 12

Past Week: 1/8 Alabama, W 84-68 & 1/12 @ Mississippi, L 49-64

Upcoming: 1/16 Georgia & 1/19 @ (11) Florida

Missouri’s struggles continued in the SEC as they lost to Mississippi this week. Things don’t get easier as they travel to Gator-country.

The Gators picked up three wins in three games this week. They host a Missouri team which could give them a game or they could roll over for Florida. I guess we will wait and see which Tiger team come to town.

12. Illinois (14-4, 1-3) Previous Rank: 11

Past Week: 1/9 (8) Minnesota, L 67-84 & 1/12 @ Wisconsin, L 51-74

Upcoming: 1/17 Northwestern

Apparently, Illinois forgot that the season moved on after the Ohio State game. The Illini didn’t even show up in their two losses this week. They may drop all the way out of the Top 25 if they forget to play Northwestern.

13. Creighton (16-1, 5-0) Previous Rank: 16

Past Week: 1/8 Drake, W 91-61 & 1/12 Missouri State, W 74-52

Upcoming: 1/15 Northern Iowa & 1/19 @ (23) Wichita State

Creighton keeps rolling in their conference as expected. Their biggest conference matchup of there is this week when they go to Wichita State.

14. Butler (14-2, 2-0) Previous Rank: 17

Past Week: 1/9 @ St. Joseph’s, W 72-66 & 1/12 @ Dayton, W 79-73

Upcoming: 1/16 Richmond & 1/19 (9) Gonzaga

Butler looks to win the “major” mid-major championship this week when they host Gonzaga.

Craft Looks to Shut Down Burke

15. Ohio State (12-3, 2-1) Previous Rank: 8

Past Week: 1/8 @ Purdue, W 74-64

Upcoming: 1/13 (2) Michigan & 1/19 @ (22) Michigan State

Ohio State picked up a solid win at Purdue last week. They hope to show Michigan what it feels like to lose when they host the Wolverines later today. They then travel to East Lansing to face Sparty in a tough environment.

The Aztecs continue to barely beat teams, but they are still winning. They face two more winnable games this week but we’ll see if they continue to struggle.

17. Notre Dame (14-2, 2-1) Previous Rank: 21

Past Week: 1/7 @ (21) Cincinnati, W 66-60 & 1/12 UConn, L 58-65

Upcoming: 1/15 @ St. John’s & 1/19 Rutgers

Notre Dame finally has a chance to gain respect and they drop the ball in a loss to UConn. St. John’s and Rutgers shouldn’t be too tough this week as they look to get back on track.

18. Kansas State (13-2, 2-0) Previous Rank: 25

Past Week: 1/12 @ West Virginia, W 65-64

Upcoming: 1/16 @ TCU & 1/19 Oklahoma

Kansas State moved up in the polls after a big week for them and they follow that up with a one point in Morgantown. They need better performances this week if they look to keep moving up in the polls.

19. Georgetown (11-3, 1-2) Previous Rank: 15

Past Week: 1/8 Pittsburgh, L 45-73 & 1/12 @ St. John’s, W 67-51

Upcoming: 1/16 Providence & 1/19 @ South Florida

At some point Georgetown needs to drop out of the Top 25. They lost to Pittsburgh last week in another game they couldn’t score. I don’t know if they will win this week or not but I would like to place a bet on whether they score more than a 100 points combined in their two games.

Leslie is THE MAN!

20. North Carolina State (14-2, 3-0) Previous Rank: 23

Past Week: 1/9 Georgia Tech, W 83-70 & 1/12 (1) Duke, W 84-76

Upcoming: 1/16 @ Maryland

North Carolina State showed this week that two early season losses are clearly in the rear view mirror as they knocked off the number one team in the country. Traveling to Maryland could pose to be a let-down game.

21. Cincinnati (14-3, 2-2) Previous Rank: 14

Past Week: 1/7 (17) Notre Dame, L 60-66 & 1/12 @ Rutgers, W 68-58

Upcoming: 1/15 @ DePaul & 1/19 Marquette

The Bearcats time in the Top 25 may be over as they lost to Notre Dame. Marquette will be a tough test this week but at least it’s a home game.

22. Michigan State (13-3, 2-1) Previous Rank: 18

Past Week: 1/10 @ Iowa, W 62-59

Upcoming: 1/13 Nebraska & 1/16 @ Penn State & 1/19 (15) Ohio State

Michigan State got back to winning when they beat a hard-nosed Iowa team. Hopefully Sparty doesn’t look past Nebraska and Penn State as they prepare to host Ohio State next Saturday.

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-basketball/top-25-the-week-in-review-the-week-ahead-4.html/feed3tBBC Preview: Music City Bowl – N.C. State vs Vanderbilthttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/tbbc-preview-music-city-bowl-n-c-state-vs-vanderbilt.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tbbc-preview-music-city-bowl-n-c-state-vs-vanderbilt
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/tbbc-preview-music-city-bowl-n-c-state-vs-vanderbilt.html#commentsMon, 31 Dec 2012 07:25:40 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=29359N.C. State (7-5, 4-4 ACC) vs. Vanderbilt (8-4, 5-3 SEC) Monday December 31st, Noon EST ESPN Bowl History: The Franklin American Mortgage Company Music City Bowl began in 1998. The bowl was created to stimulate the economy in Nashville and also so that Nashville could show off it’s beauty to tourists. ESPN has shown the bowl […]

N.C. State (7-5, 4-4 ACC) vs. Vanderbilt (8-4, 5-3 SEC)

Monday December 31st, Noon EST ESPN

Bowl History: The Franklin American Mortgage Company Music City Bowl began in 1998. The bowl was created to stimulate the economy in Nashville and also so that Nashville could show off it’s beauty to tourists. ESPN has shown the bowl annually ever since its inception and more 760,000 fans have attened the bowl in person. While the bowl has played host to many conferences, it is exclusively an ACC-SEC matchup though 2014. The game has featured many big players such as Jason Campbell, Marion Barber, and C.J. Spiller.

N.C. State Scouting Report: Offensively, the Wolfpack rely on QB Mike Glennon and WR Tobias Palmer. Glennon threw for 30 touchdowns and averaged 304 yards/game. Palmer may not have led the team in yards and TD’s (670 yards this season and 6 touchdowns), he has been Glennon’s favorite target in big games. CB David Amerson leads the team defensively after breaking the ACC interception record last season. He will probably face off against Vanderbilt’s WR Jordan Matthews.

Buckeye Connection: The Buckeyes have played the Wolfpack a total of 2 times winning both of the games. The last time they met was in Columbus in 2003 in a gut-wrenching 44-38 victory.

Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt hasn’t neccesarily lit up the offesnive side of the stat sheet but they are led by RB Zac Stacey. He has carried the workload for most of the season. Stacey rushed for 1,034 yards this season on his way to becoming the all time leading rusher in school history. QB Jordan Rodgers handles the snaps while completing 59% of his passes for an average of 8.3 yards per attempt. LB Chase Garnham was the third leading tackler for the Commodore defense. His 11.5 stops for loss led the team and he is featured in many blitz packages

Buckeye Connection: The Buckeyes and Commodores split their meeting in 1931 and 1933 and have never met since, mainly because the SEC refuses to travel outside of their home states to face anybody anymore. If they met today, I’m sure Ohio State would improve to 2-1.

Our Picks:

Eric: N.C. State

Jason: N.C. State

Mali: Vanderbilt

Janelle: Vanderbilt

WVA: N.C. State

Gary: N.C. State

Tim: Vanderbilt

Prediction: This game is pretty much a toss up when it comes to who will win. Defense may win championships but offense will probably win this game. Vandy struggles to score much and will need something extraordinary to happen in order to pull out the victory. N.C. State RB Zac Stacey will probably prove to be too much for Vandy in the end as the the Wolfpack win easily. N.C. State 31, Vanderbilt 17

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/tbbc-preview-music-city-bowl-n-c-state-vs-vanderbilt.html/feed0The Coaching Search: Tom O'Brienhttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/the-coaching-search-tom-obrien.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-coaching-search-tom-obrien
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/the-coaching-search-tom-obrien.html#commentsFri, 08 Jul 2011 12:00:50 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=16002We’ve gone through a few names in our coaching search here at the BBC. Now it’s time for another name that’s flying under the radar a bit. Of course, by under the radar, I mean that he’s not being mentioned at all. That doesn’t mean he can’t still be a legitimate name for the job. […]

]]>We’ve gone through a few names in our coaching search here at the BBC. Now it’s time for another name that’s flying under the radar a bit. Of course, by under the radar, I mean that he’s not being mentioned at all. That doesn’t mean he can’t still be a legitimate name for the job.

Special thanks to a friend of the BBC who recommended this feature on O’Brien.

Tom O'Brien has a bright future at NC State

Most of you are probably looking at the title of this post and saying to yourself “who?”. Well, that’s probably your own fault because a few year’s ago O’Brien was one of the top names in college football. You may most clearly remember him as the guy who jumped ship from successful ACC member Boston College to full-meltdown-mode ACC member NC State.

Oh…That guy!

Tom O’Brien was born in the great state of Ohio, in the city generally forgotten by the rest of the state – Cincinnati. He attended High School at St. Xavier, playing at Defensive End.

He matriculated from the Naval Academy in 1970 after 5 years. While there he played ball for the Middies for all 5 seasons (I believe he took a redshirt, though I can’t prove it), including his final 3 as a defensive starter. Unfortunately, Navy was terrible at that time, going overall 5-26 while O’Brien was a starter. The defense also gave up more than 300 points per season while their offense struggled to break 100.

After his playing days at Navy, O’Brien began his service to the US Marine Corps which lasted a total of 9 years. By the end, he had attained the rank of Major while serving at Quantico and in tours in California and Japan. During that time, O’Brien was able to begin his coaching career, starting out as an assistant with the Navy’s plebe team.

In 1975 he was hired as an assistant for the Navy’s Varsity team under George Welsh. He started out coaching the offensive line and tight ends for seven years for the Middies. During that time, Navy found some success with 5 winning seasons and 5 wins over Army (and 1 tie) along with 3 bowl games. You may remember his last bowl game with Navy in 1981, a 31-28 loss in the Liberty Bowl to one Ohio State.

After that season, George Welsh moved to the University of Virginia. UVA had suffered 12 losing seasons since 1968 at that point and were desperate for a switch. After a 1-10 season in 1981, they brought in Welsh to turn things around. Welsh dragged O’Brien with him to continue in the role of offensive line coach. The following season, Virginia went 2-9 including losses to James Madison and Navy.

But things turned around quickly. The following year Virginia succeeded in producing a winning season, only their second since 1968. The following year was even better, despite an opening 55-0 loss to eventual 7-4 Clemson, Virginia rattled off an 8-2-2 season. That year saw the Cavaliers make their first bowl game, the Peach Bowl to face the Purdue Boilermakers – a game they won 27-24.

O’Brien eventually became the Offensive Coordinator for Welsh in 1991, a position he held for 6 years. During the course of his 15 year run at Virginia, the Cavaliers posted 10 winning seasons and a share of 2 conference titles and Virginia’s first 9 bowl games. They ended up going 4-5 in those bowls.

In 1996, Boston College – coming off two consecutive losing seasons – began a staff search that ended in O’Brien’s first job at a head coaching position. His first two seasons were not markedly fantastic successes, with Boston College managing to only go 4-7 in both seasons, including 3-4 in the Big East. His career really began to get off the ground in his third season, posting a winning record and an invite to the Insight Bowl. Unfortunately, his team got crushed by Colorado 62-28.

It certainly wasn’t a sign of things to come though. Over the next seven seasons at Boston College, O’Brien lead them to seven bowl invites, though none was a BCS bowl. All seven bowl games were victories for the Eagles, though the last of the seven was not coached by O’Brien himself. O’Brien had already moved on to another job – replacing Chuck Amato at NC State.

After a couple disappointing seasons with the Wolfpack, a 3-9 record in 2006 was simply not enough to maintain Amato’s job. He was dispatched and a coaching search was quickly begun before the 2006 bowl season. To the surprise of many, O’Brien – widely considered an excellent head coach on the path to success at Boston College – accepted the job.

This moved was viewed at best as a sideways career move. He remained in the same conference, though accepted a team on the decline. He had no obvious connections to NC State, and generally had everything to play for at BC.

One suspected reason for O’Brien’s switch was the lack of fan support in Boston, a city dominated by it’s professional sports teams. Boston College had been regularly passed over for more prestigious bowl bids due to the travel base of the school. That apparently didn’t sit well with the hard working O’Brien, who wanted his team’s rewarded for their efforts.

His first three years at NC State were rocky at best. 2007 and 2009 ended in losing seasons for the Wolfpack, though 2008 did see them make a bowl game – O’Brien’s first bowl game loss since 1999. This last season was much more spectacular as the Wolfpack picked up a 9 win season, including a crushing victory over West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl. Clearly things are on the up.

Except for his star quarterback. There’s been a lot of smoke and mirrors regarding the transfer of Russell Wilson to Wisconsin. Wilson was widely viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC, if not the best quarterback, and just missed being named the ACC offensive player of the year. It is believed in some circles that O’Brien was unhappy with Wilson’s desire to play baseball, believing that Wilson wasn’t putting enough time into his football commitment.

One way or another, many believe that O’Brien made a serious error in this situation. Either way, O’Brien will have junior quarterback Mike Glennon, the #3 rated quarterback in the 2008 recruiting class, leading the way this year.

I will save my usual analysis of O’Brien’s chances for the bullet points at the end. I won’t lie, he’s a successful coach and has some very endearing qualities to him, though he doesn’t have quite the shine that many Buckeye fans might expect.

Playing Career

Defensive End, US Naval Academy, (1966-1970)

Pedegree

Offensive Line/Tight Ends Coach: Navy 1975-1981

Offensive Line Coach: Virginia 1982-1990

Offensive Coordinator: Virginia 1991-1996

Head Coach: Boston College 1997-2006

Head Coach: North Carolina State 2007-present

Why O’Brien could be the next coach of the Buckeyes:

He’s been raised in Ohio, and has at least experienced something of the Ohio State/Michigan football rivalry.

His experiences in the Marines, along with his extensive career, give him a wide variety of things to teach young players – not just football related.

His teams at Boston College regularly topped the charts of the graduation rates, including a 100% graduation rate in 2004.

He has plentiful coaching experience spanning more than three decades, including a decade and a half of Division 1 head coaching experience at BCS conference schools.

He has demonstrated a consistent winning philosophy. While not 100% successful (no undefeated seasons or BCS bowl invites) that could be more a measure of the schools he was at than his coaching ability by itself.

His streak of 6 straight bowl wins (seven straight, since he set BC up to win the last one) is extraordinarily impressive. Few college coaches have been able to achieve records like that in bowl games.

He seems interested in coaching at a school with a loyal fanbase with a strong travel record. Ohio State more than exceeds those requirements.

He has defeated NC State’s chief rival – North Carolina – all 4 seasons as a head coach, despite North Carolina’s success the last several seasons.

Why O’Brien wont be the next coach of the Buckeyes:

He has absolutely no personal experience with, nor passion for, the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry. He’s never been a coach, nor a player, at either of those programs.

He went 1-1 against Michigan as a player, and 0-3 as an assistant coach at Navy.

In his last 4 seasons at NC State he’s gone only 25-25. His career at Boston College ended at 75-45 overall. While those are good records for a coach, they’re not as good as OSU fans might expect for a future coach, especially from a Big East/ACC coach.

He has never played or coached for a National Championship, nor has he ever coached a team to a BCS bowl (or postseason playoff for the sub-Division 1 coaches).

While he’s not old, he’s certainly getting up there in age. It seems like the Buckeyes would prefer a coach who’s under the age of 60 (possibly even under 50). They’re looking for a long term guy, not someone who might be interested in retiring in the near future.